Furious! Children jumping our fence

[leema]

The children in the house at the back of us often play cricket games in the backyard. We know because we hear the balls smashing against the fence, and the dogs often bring them inside. The dogs also bark when they bang them on the back fence, and I tend to just keep them inside while the boys are playing cricket.

Today, however, I heard both the dogs 'going off' in the backyard. I go out there and see one of the kids walking around the backyard! :msnmad: I let rip at them for entering my yard (they climbed the fence out the back), and how dangerous it is to go into the yard of other dogs. I told them that they're lucky Mac didn't bite them (a bit of a stretch of the truth, but I wanted to let them know what a situation they were in).

I shudder to think how often this has happened when I am not home! I hate to think of what would happen if Mac DID bite them (he doesn't completely understand children, and 'alarm barks' at them).

I will be going around to talk to their parents shortly. Hopefully the parents will tell them off just as harshly and I don't find children in my backyard with my dogs again!


I'm just in total shock and I'm SO GLAD that I know about it and hopefully it stops now that I've sprung them. And I'm so glad nothing happened before I knew about it.

 

[fletcher]

There are so many dogs out there that would tear strips off them. How stupid. Do you know their parents? And not to mention the stress on the poor dogs. I think Fletcher would freak out if someone entered his yard. He was distressed enough when my husband turned up in there from a back enterence!! (until he sussed out who he was obviously). I would be furious. Good luck with the parents.

 

[leema]

I don't know the parents. I haven't spoken to those neighbours yet (though we moved in in November!) but I hope they haven't been encouraging their kids to do that!

When I saw them, Mac was alarm barking following him around, trying to bluff him. Clover was barking but happy to see him. stupid puppies. But I hate to think if the kid, for example, just kicked the dogs out of the way or something like that? Mac wouldn't take that and Clover might've been scarred for life!

I'm considering putting Clover back in her pen during incase they haven't heeded me. I don't want to risk it!

 

[Jean Cote]

I'm sure that if you explain the situation in terms of safety to the parents, they should understand. Just tell them that you would hate to see anything happen to their kids if they came into your backyard while you weren't there to supervise the dogs.

Not that your dogs are mean or that you expect anything to happen, but because dogs are dogs and they see circumstances differently than we do.

 

[leema]

Went and spoke to who I guess is "dad" and he was like, "That's not on" and "I had no idea" - so hopefully dad will give 'em a talking to and I won't find kids in the yard with my dogs again.
He was very approachable, somewhat suprised, and definitely disapproving of the kids. Hope they learn their lesson!

 

[Jean Cote]

HeHe. Well nobody wants their kids to get hurt, so I'm pretty sure he will tell them to not go in your yard because of the dogs. :dogsmile:

Glad that you went out and spoke to them! Good job!

 

[leema]

I started to explain to him that I make efforts to keep my dogs in because I don't quite trust Mac, and he's like, "Nuh, they shouldn't be in your yard" - I'm very happy it wasn't some bogan who just lets his kids do whatever!!

 

[landseer]

Hello Leema and hello dear Academist friends,
well, as I told in one of my previous posts neighbours are often the cause of the stress for our dogs. I only had once the case of a ball thrown in our yard, but the two sisters playing didn't think at all about facing a sweet strong slavering newfie!:-D Their grandma asked me the ball and everything went good. But the problems caused by neighbours are going on because of their stupid habit in making silly voices to Chantal and barking to her. Unfortunately when you explain them all the things in the proper way they only say "Oh, when I had dogs everytime he/she behaved...bla, bla, bla...!" Most times that bla, bla, bla means only "beating the dog". The only way, in my case, to stop people bothering Chantal is threatening them to go the Police: here in Italy, at last, animal rights are well supported and jail is a good scarecrow. :-)
Landseer

 

[bipa]

Children, or anyone climbing over my fence while the two dogs are out, rates as one of my worst nightmares. I'm convinced that Joey would bite a stranger in my yard. That's why I never leave them outside when I'm gone. But if I were in the basement doing laundry then I might be too late to stop whatever is going on, which is why I recently went out and bought "beware of dog" signs. Huge bright yellow ones! They might not help in terms of keeping kids out, but at least might give me an added legal argument in case something ever happened.

I can't imagine Bonnie actually hurting someone. She'd probably just run away, or perhaps lick them to death. But Joey is quite the watchdog, and is very protective of me and our property. Since he's also highly reactive and has a very deep bark sounding like a much larger dog, I hope that most folks would get scared off before attempting to climb our fence. On the other hand, it's nice to know that if anyone tried to break into the house while my husband was away on a business trip, then the thieves' getaway car would end up being an ambulance. :dogtongue2:

Good to hear that your neighbour is a very reasonable parent!

 

[CollieMan]

Here in the UK at least, it is generally advised that you don't put up "Beware of Dog" signs, as that can be legally construed as you declaring that you were previously aware that your dog was dangerous. (Blame those parasitic compensation law firms.)

Here, we now have "Be aware of the dog", or, as I have, "Please close the gate. Dogs running free"

 

[bipa]

Actually, my signs are in German with a picture of a dog, and say:

Hier wache ich! (I keep watch here)
Betreten auf eigene Gefahr! (Trespass at your own risk)

I think that pretty much avoids any potential confusion :dogsmile:

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Oh I feel your pain. My idiot neighbors have a bunch of little brats...during the summer when they don't have schoolwork, they will stand in the backyard and scream...for no reason. They stand on the fence and yell at my steers, throw toys over the fence at my horses, yell at my dogs...you name it, they do it. Zeke has gotten many soccer balls and basketballs to play with because of them. ^^ Hehe...they learned very quickly not to lean over the fence and try to feed or pet the horses though. We strung hot wire(electrical fencing) along the top of our horse fence because their dogs kept jumping it, and the neighbors wouldn't do anything about it. Sounds cruel, but what if my horses were attacked by these dogs? (Has happened before.)
Anyway...one day the kids were all over by the fence trying to feed the horses weeds, and one of them leaned too far over. xDDDD She got shocked. It was hilarious. Now they aren't much of a problem. At first I politely tried to solve the problem with them and their parents...but eventually I got tired of having to deal with the brats because they didn't listen, and I have lost my temper a number of times with them. Really all I did was chew them out, but it kept them at bay for a while. I hope your neighbors keep their kids out of your yard! Good luck to you.

 

[storm22]

im glad my neighbour at the back of us (now) is very kind she watches her kid if shes out playing and she comes and asks us if something came over the fence, we did have past owners who yelled at storm if a ball came over the fence as he couldnt come get it and by the time i got home it was popped or the toy was broken (storm loves his toys:dogbiggrin
but our new neighbopur comes over to play with the dogs and her daughter has never been round dogs (they more cat poeople) and shes learning lots by being able to play and teach my dogs.

but im also glad storm looks like a wolf (most kids think he does) and they wont come near the bumbling slobbering mess to pat him so they wont tease him (they just cant get near him without using a towel after, ive worked on his manner all his life but new kids are fair game to him:dogwink

but you do get some kids that get cocky and tease storm but he puts up with it or he'll get them back by licking them right up the back of the neck he does this sometimes with me and im sure he spits in your ear:dogtongue2:

 

[leema]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with issues! I really do feel like this has been 'nipped in the bud', though, and Dad is going to deal with the problem.

If not... electric wire or barbed wire has been suggested.

 

[fletcher]

It sounds like the dad was really great about it. Phew.

 

[storm22]

tx_cowgirl we hot wired our horses in too since harry was sold he used to chase any dog that was in the same paddock as him, he had scars on his legs from where dogs had attacked him before we got him and now doesnt tolerate dogs, the farmer we sold him to knew about harrys problems but his mate didnt believe him till his pig dog had to be saved from harrys hooves:dogblink:

as for kids around our horses they probably have been chased sometimes they are skitish when we go to get them (found a few beer bottles in the paddocks:msnmadbut they havent been hassled in a while we turned up the heat in the wire its now about 100volts we've had young cows crash through our fence as we have too much grass and they hadnt had much, now we have the neighbours cows helping keep our horses skinnier (they need it:msnohyes

 

[l_l_a]

Leema I would be furious if I saw someone in my yard!! That's trespassing!

And I can imagine how upset you were because your dogs were in the yard and as you say, what if your dogs had bit the kids for whatever reason? Here in the US, if someone trespassed on your property and your dog bit them, it would be YOUR fault and you could be sued. Well I hope the neighbors have told their kids to not do that anymore, for their own safety!!

I think it's a good idea to not have dogs alone or unsupervised in the yard, just because of stuff like this happening. Like you say, what's going on when you're not home that you're not aware of? Kids could be harassing or teasing the dogs even from their side of the fence, which could make thee dogs more likely to bite if the kids then trespassed one day.

Here in the US it is the same thing - in some cities having a "beware of dog" sign is a liability because it's admitting you have a vicious dog. *sigh* it often seems that as a dog owner you just can't win when it come to legal issues involving your dogs and other people....

Tx_cowgirl: that is so funny about the electric fence and the brats!! Can't say I feel sorry for them....I know, I'm a meanie...!

 

[Jean Cote]

If not... electric wire or barbed wire has been suggested.

LOL !!! !!! !!!

 

[l_l_a]

yeah I like the electric wire or barbed wire suggestion too!!

 

[leema]

lla - I know I could be sued, that's why I was so angry!! Moreso, worried about Mac being classified as a 'dangerous dog' (which would have close to no-life for him in a box in our backyard).

The fences in our backyard are solid fences - i.e. you can't see through them, all four sides. I've never seen the kids interact with the dogs - even walking around our backyard they were ignoring them.
Having the dogs inside all the time is just not practical and, actually, not the 'norm' in Australia. Clover would chew stuff up, Mac would urinate inside in seperation anxiety, and sometimes no one is home for 9 hours at a time and I can't expect them to hold on that hard.

Though I'd surely like to keep them inside all the time, and I would if I didn't work + uni throughout the days.